Wireless devices, e.g., cellular based devices, are ubiquitous. Moreover, there is increased demand for cellular services in areas where such services may be limited, e.g., residential or small business environments. Accordingly, a small cellular base station, e.g., femtocell, coupled to a wireless service provider's network via a broadband connection, can be located in such environments to improve wireless service capacity and/or coverage.
In a cellular based system, a mobile wireless device can communicate with a base station within a wireless coverage area, or sector, of the base station. During a voice and/or data session, e.g., phone call, the mobile wireless device operates in an active mode while communicating with the base station. When the mobile wireless device is powered on between calls, the mobile wireless device operates in an idle mode. During the idle mode, the mobile wireless device can perform a reselection procedure to transition between base stations and/or wireless access points, e.g., based on base station/wireless access point signal quality. For example, the mobile wireless device can monitor one or more control and/or broadcast channels of proximate base stations to obtain information for selecting a base station for servicing an incoming/outgoing call in the active mode. Such information can include a neighbor list, which identifies channels of proximate base stations the mobile wireless device can monitor during the idle mode. As the mobile wireless device moves within a sector served by a base station, the mobile wireless device can monitor the channels of base stations and/or access points utilizing the neighbor list and determine a best channel for active mode operation.
As increased amounts of femtocells are integrated into a broader cellular network to improve wireless service capacity and/or coverage, conventional techniques cannot adequately account for tens, hundreds, thousands, etc. of femtocells included within a base station's sector using a neighbor list. Each item included in a neighbor list transmitted by a base station corresponds to only one base station and/or one access point within a sector of the base station. Further, conventional techniques limit a number of neighbors included in a base station neighbor list to 32. Consequently, if more than 32 femtocells are within a sector of a base station, then a mobile wireless device cannot use a neighbor list to monitor and/or select each femtocell within the sector during idle mode.